World Swimming Championships

Trivia

The 1st FINA World Championships were held in the city of Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1973.
Perth, Australia, is the only city to have hosted the event twice – 1991, 1998. In 2009, Rome will host the event for the second time (also in 1994). (see Hosts list)
The events that were part of the 1st Campionships were: swimming, men’s water polo, diving and synchronized swimming.
696 athletes competed at the 1st FINA World Championships in Belgrade, compared to 1784 competing athletes at the World Championships in Montreal.
Temporary pools were used at the World Championships in Fukuoka (2001), Barcelona (2003) and Montreal (2005).
The most successful male athlete in FINA World Championship history (prior to 2007) is Australian Grant Hackett with 17 medals (10 gold; 5 silver; and 2 bronze).
The most successful female athlete in FINA World Championship history (prior to 2007) is American Jenny Thompson with 14 medals (7 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze).